Balangir/18.6.09: With 69% of pregnant women anemic, Orissas pregnant women face major risk of mortality & morbidity. Much of the problem arises from poor food habits which consists of Rice & onion, atleast in the poor households. Balangir, being a poor district, the problem is insurmountable as the poverty & secondary status of women in the society enhances their vulnerability many times.

Most pregnant women report with as low as 5gms of Heamoglobin when they are supposed to record it between 12- 14 gms says Dr. K.C. Pradhan a gynecologist. Since blood is a life saving component , particularly in complicated cases of labour, the government has provisioned for 94 First Referral Units(FRU) in the state, yet many of them are not functional. Non functional FRU which has been coined by the state NRHM authorities contrary to the needs of the people is adding to the woes of pregnant women alleges Aswini Tripathy, media coordinator , White Ribbon Alliance. The Balangir district hospital even doesnt have a regular anesthetist, a mandatory provision of FRU as the only anesthetist of the district is attached to Titilagarh hospital, 60kms away. Despite the efforts of the former MLA of Kantabanji, the FRU there is not working for want of functional blood bank.

Since there are only three functional FRU in the district, many depend upon the DHH where the blood bank charges Rs. 350 service charge for various test for availing blood. Though many people are referred to nursing homes for want of facilities, the blood bank charges a surcharge of Rs. 140 for every unit of blood for patients of nursing homes without any justified grounds. What however does raises an alalrm is the charge of Rs. 150 for blood collected during non scheduled hours. Blood bank officer S Chaudhury admits the charges are levied for the rapid HIV detection kit . It is like levying a hidden cost as Lallu has increased the Tatkal charges in Railways complained Sudeep Guru, a journalist.

The blood bank also faces an uphill task of arranging required units of blood . Though it requires on an average 600 units of blood, it manages to collect around 430 units every month. Patients coming from far off places face uphill task arranging blood locally that too in emergency admits Prasanta Khuas, an attendant. Voluntary blood donation with an NGO partner to bridge the gap can ease off the distress of the already miserable family suggested Rabi Ranjan Pujari, district coordinator , white ribbon alliance.

Biswajit Padhi

There was an outbreak of 110 patients having fever with rash in Pual and a neighbouring village (population less than 2000). 40 patients admitted in Borio PHC by Dr Oraon and team in April, On April 19th Dr Thomas Murmu (District Malaria Officer) visited the village. The first case was reported from Mangru Tikar village on March 12th. 7 patients from Pual outbreak died, despite best treatment.

Two patients (one from Borio who had bleeding and fever and was unconscious) (one pregnant lady from Lokhipur, Pathna Block- who had diplo cocci in her spinal fluid) were admitted and treated in May 2009. They responded to Ceftriaxone and to Crystalline Penicillin given IV every 2 hours.

There are Meningitis Outbreaks in Bangladesh, Meghalaya and Tripura according to NICD (National Institute of Communicable Disease) Delhi. Immunization has been done for 10 lakh people in Meghalaya in May and early June. Immunization is also planned in two blocks of Tripura (Dhalai District).

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